Confirmation that Serena Williams' take of her, and her family's,
tennis story under the title Queen of the Court, will finally go to
print next year came when publishers Simon & Schuster announced they
have bought the rights in a pre-emptive deal.



The tome will be co-written by Daniel Paisner, who co-wrote 9/11
memoir Last Man Down. In the United States the book will be
published by Grand Central while Simon & Schuster announced they
have bought the United Kingdom and Canada rights in a pre-emptive
deal.



Mike Jones, Simon & Schuster's editorial director for non-fiction,
admitted he had done the deal with Eugenie Furniss at Serena's
management company William Morris for a "good six figure sum" and
reported it will be one of the publisher's key titles for Christmas
2009.



Queen of the Court will chart Serena's story from the ghetto courts
of South Central Los Angeles to becoming one of the most successful,
charismatic and talked about players in the history of the sport,
winning eight major titles and more than $20 million in prize money
"It's a fantastic story about her background and how both her sister
and she were pushed into becoming winners by their father," said
Jones. "She has huge appeal because of what she has achieved during
her career," said Jones. "This book goes beyond tennis fans. She's a
top athlete with a really great personality and interesting story
behind her."